How Important Are Childhood Friends & Can They Stick Around?

Childhood
friends
are
crucial
to
the
healthy
development
of
a
child.
Just
as
they
are
for
adults,
friendships
are
important
for
children
in
that
they
promote
happy
feelings
and
reduce
stress,
thereby
acting
as
a
positive
influence
on
the
child's
overall
wellness
and
wellbeing.
This
is
true
no
matter
the
age
of
the
child,
from
toddlerhood
through
adolescence.

Childhood
Friends
In
Pre-K

Children
of
pre-K
age
may
make
friends
as
early
as
2
or
3
years
old.
However,
children
do
not
form
true
friendships
until
they
are
4
or
5
years
old.
True
friendships
mean
they
trust
each
other
and
understand
the
importance
of
sharing
with
each
other
and
being
considerate
of
each
other's
feelings.

Source:
rawpixel.com

Some
children
may
have
difficulty
making
friends,
and
that
is
okay.
They
may
feel
nervous
or
hesitant
to
engage
with
other
children.
In
these
situations,
parents
should
avoid
labeling
their
behavior
as
"shy,"
as
this
can
become
a
permanent
character
trait
and
even
a
potential
crutch.
Instead,
parents
should
encourage
their
children
to
come
out
of
their
shells.
This
can
be
done
via
a
playdate.

Keeping
playdates
simple
can
bebest.
Only
your
child
and
one
other
child
at
a
time.
Any
more
than
that,
especially
if
the
children
your
child
is
trying
to
make
friends
with
are
of
different
ages,
can
be
overwhelming
and
may
cause
your
child
to
withdraw
even
further.
If
the
situation
becomes
too
overwhelming,
you
can
try
redirecting
your
child's
attention
to
a
toy
or
game
that
he
can
focus
on.
This
may
help
reduce
his
stress
and
make
him
feel
less
pressured
to
socialize.

Childhood
Friends
In
Grade
School

As
children
get
older,
it
stands
to
reason
that
their
relationships
become
more
meaningful.
Interestingly,
according
to
a
recent
study,
boys
apparently
behavior
better
in
school
if
they
have
at
least
one
close
friend
in
kindergarten,
as
opposed
to
those
boys
who
do
not
make
close
friends
until
later
in
life.

Older
children,around
6
or
7
years
old,
are
typically
more
prone
to
come
home
and
talk
about
that
annoying
childhood
friend.
This
is
because
children
tend
to
have
their
first
arguments
with
their
close
friends
around
this
age.
Arguments
at
this
age
tend
to
be
over
feeling
betrayed.
For
instance,
one
friend
will
tell
someone
the
other
friend's
secret,
thereby
violating
the
tender
trust
that
had
developed
between
them.

Source:
pxhere.com

Parents
should
not
be
concerned
when
their
children
start
fighting
with
their
friends.
This
is
not
necessarily
a
sign
that
their
children
are
going
to
have
behavioral
problems
down
the
road.
Fighting
between
friends
at
this
age
is
a
completely
normal
part
of
growing
up.
Parents
can
help
their
children
resolve
their
conflicts
by
listening
to
their
child's
side
of
the
story
and
introducing
ways
to
solve
the
problem
and
the
benefits
of
resolving
the
conflict.

For
instance,
Bobby's
mom
can
explain
to
him
that
what
Joey
did
was
wrong;
he
shouldn't
have
told
Jimmy
about
Bobby's
secret.
However,
this
does
not
have
to
be
the
end
of
Bobby
and
Joey's
friendship.
Bobby
can
approach
Joey
and
tell
him
that
what
he
did
was
wrong
and
that
he
hurt
Bobby
with
his
actions
and
give
Joey
a
chance
to
apologize.
If
Joey
apologizes,
then
Bobby
should
be
willing
to
accept
Joey's
apology
and
give
Joey
a
chance
to
earn
back
Bobby's
trust.

If,
however,
Joey
doesn't
apologize
and
instead
puts
up
a
defense,
maybe
Bobby
needs
to
give
Joey
some
time
to
cool
off,
as
some
people
do
not
do
well
with
confrontation.
If
Joey
displays
even
worse
behavior,
like
telling
even
more
people
about
Bobby's
secret,
then
as
sad
as
it
is,
Bobby
should
move
on
and
try
to
make
a
new
friend
who
is
more
deserving
of
Bobby's
time.

Pre-Teens
And
Teenagers

Never
in
a
child's
life
are
friends
more
prominent
and
influential
than
in
their
teen
and
pre-teen
years.
This
is
when
things
can
start
to
get
scary
because
this
is
when
kids
are
more
likely
to
meet
that
one
friend
who
is
going
to
be
the
bad
influence.
You
know
the
one
-
that
friend
who
encourages
your
kid
to
do
all
the
bad
things
he
otherwise
wouldn't
do
if
it
weren't
for
peer
pressure.

Parents
often
feel
powerless
in
these
situations.
"What
can
I
do?
My
son
won't
listen
to
me,"
or
"there's
nothing
we
can
do.
She's
old
enough
to
know
better."
However,
parents
still
have
more
of
a
say
here
than
they
realize.
While
teens
are
busy
acting
out
and
rebelling
against
the
things
their
parents
are
trying
to
teach
them,
this
is
partially
a
front
to
disguise
the
fact
that
they
still
want
and
need
their
parents'
guidance.

It
may
be
difficult
for
parents
not
to
say
anything
bad
about
a
friend
they
are
not
pleased
with.
It
may
be
challenging
for
them
to
avoid
judging
someone
who
might
otherwise
be
nice,
but
who
sports
a
nose
ring,
tattoo
sleeves,
and
half
a
head
of
hair.
But
if
parents
can
sit
down
with
their
children
and
have
an
honest
discussion
about
what
it
is
their
children
like
about
this
friend,
maybe
they
can
overcome
their
judgments
about
that
friend.

If,
however,
the
parents
are
justified,
and
the
friend
is
a
legitimate
bad
influence,
then
that's
a
different
story.
In
this
case,
the
parents
should
sit
their
children
down
and
explain
how
going
along
with
a
friend's
bad
decisions,
such
as
underage
drinking
or
promiscuity,
can
directly
affect
them,
too.

Source:
pixabay.com

It
is
especially
important
that
parents
be
there
for
their
children
during
their
teenage
years,
as
one
bad
decision
may
be
all
it
takes
to
change
their
lives
forever.
This
moment
in
children's
lives
is
the
apex
at
which
one
bad
decision,
an
unwanted
pregnancy
or
the
decision
to
drive
drunk
or
commit
a
petty
crime,
can
ruin
everything
the
child
has
worked
for
up
until
that
point.
No
college,
no
great
job,
no
future.

One
thing
parents
of
teens
should
never
do,
as
tempting
as
it
sounds,
is
the
"you
can
never
see
that
friend
again"
thing.
Of
course,
this
will
drive
your
child
further
away
and
right
into
the
arms
of
the
person
you
have
banned
them
from
seeing.
Instead,
try
to
be
as
open
as
possible
about
your
children's
friends,
even
encouraging
them
to
hang
out
at
your
house.
After
all,
there's
no
better
way
to
keep
an
eye
on
them
and
what
they're
doing.

As
with
any
relationship,
your
relationship
with
your
kids
will
thrive
if
you
keep
the
lines
of
communication
open.
You
will
also
see
more
positive
results
if
you
involve
your
children
in
the
decisions
that
affect
them,
rather
than
making
all
their
decisions
for
them.

Can
Childhood
Friendships
Last
Forever?

A
childhood
friendship
can
last
forever
in
much
the
same
way
that
any
relationship
can.
If
possible,
it's
a
good
idea
to
hold
onto
your
childhood
friends
even
into
adulthood.
For
one
thing,
they
know
more
about
you
than
most
people
you
will
ever
meet
in
your
life.
For
another,
there's
always
the
bond
between
you
that
centers
on
where
you
grew
up.
You
both
can
always
reminisce
together
about
the
sights,
smells,
and
sounds
of
your
childhood
that
you
both
shared
because
you
both
grew
up
in
the
same
place.

What's
also
nice
about
a
childhood
friendship
that
lasts
into
adulthood
is
that
despiteall
of
the
relationships
you
will
forge
along
the
way,
this
friendship
stood
the
test
of
time.
People
came,
and
people
went,
letting
you
down
and
picking
you
up.
But
this
was
the
one
friend
that
could
be
trusted
to
pull
through
for
you
time
and
time
again.
That
is
something
special
indeed.
This
was
the
one
person
who,
every
year,
would
wish
you,
"happy
birthday,
childhood
friend."

Source:
unsplash.com

Lifelong
childhood
friends
are
those
friends
that
will
like
you
even
when
you
don't
like
yourself,
who
will
support
you
even
when
you
aren't
sure
you
did
the
right
thing.
And
it
is
people
like
this
who
are
always
the
most
honest
with
you,
the
true
friends.
These
friends
don't
tell
you
what
you
want
to
hear
because
it
sounds
better,
but
what
you
must
hear
to
do
the
right
thing.
This
is
the
friend
who
will
tell
you
that
yes,
you
do
look
fat
in
that
dress,
even
though
you
fell
in
love
with
it
the
moment
you
stepped
into
the
store.

Growing
Apart

Here's
the
sad
part
of
the
equation:
sometimes
friends
simply
grow
apart.
Their
interests
change,
they
mature,
they
move
away,
there's
a
host
of
reasons
why
friends
no
longer
speak.
Of
course,
in
some
cases,
people
change
for
the
worse,
and
it
is
better
to
distance
yourself
from
them.
For
instance,
if
a
friend
becomes
verbally,
physically,
or
emotionally
abusive,
the
friendship
is
no
longer
healthy.

Other
red
flags
that
signal
the
end
of
your
relationship
include
the
desire
to
ignore
your
friend's
phone
calls
or,
similarly,
looking
for
excuses
not
to
hang
out
with
them.
If
you
feel
awkward
around
your
friend,
or
if
being
around
them
makes
you
feel
anxious,
then
these
are
clear
indicators
that
the
friendship
is
no
longer
what
it
used
to
be,
and
that
it's
time
to
move
on.

Are
you
missing
a
childhood
friend?
Do
you
long
for
the
relationships
you
had
when
you
were
a
kid?
If
you
feel
like
you
may
want
to
get
some
of
that
hurt
off
of
your
chest,
feel
free
to
reach
out
to
one
of
our
licensed
counselors,
who
are
always
happy
to
help
or
just
to
listen.

The information on this page is not intended to be a substitution for diagnosis, treatment, or informed professional advice. You should not take any action or avoid taking any action without consulting with a qualified mental health professional. For more information, please read our terms of use.

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